Shoulder joint deformity is a common disease, especially in the elderly. The disease is chronic and develops rapidly. It is often diagnosed equally in patients of both sexes. Due to degenerative disorders, damage is observed not only in the cartilage tissue of the joints, but also in bone tissue. The cause of the problem is micro-trauma in the shoulder joint and the inflammatory processes that develop in it. Cartilage tissue gradually becomes thinner, small cracks appear on it, in which salt accumulates. Then, destructive processes gradually affect the bones, the bones become denser, grow and eventually change their anatomical shape. The disease progresses over a long period of time, causing no discomfort to the patient in the early stages of the disease. In fact, this is where its danger lies. Let's learn in more detail about the causes, symptoms, as well as how and how to treat deforming arthritis.
Why do pathologies occur?
Among the causes of shoulder arthritis, experts name the following conditions and factors.
Injury
Shoulder injuries include intra-articular fractures, dislocations, and bruises. Fractures are characterized by the fact that the fracture line is located in the joint cavity. In addition to bones, it also affects cartilage, causing additional damage: torn ligaments and joint capsule damage.
Shoulder dislocation is one of the most common injuries, often leading to complications, joint deformity and the development of arthritis. As a result, the joint may lose complete mobility.
Dislocation of the right shoulder is observed more often in right-handed people and the left shoulder in left-handed people.
Bruises occur due to strong impact, such as from an accident, fall, or playing sports. Due to the bruise, the bones do not move, the cartilage tissue is not destroyed, but its normal nutrition is disrupted, which can also lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
Increase load
Excessive load on the shoulder joint is observed in some groups of people:
- Professional athletes: volleyball players, tennis players, track and field athletes.
- Builders, plasterers, excavators.
- Dachnikov.
They all had to make the same type of movement with their hands raised for a long time. As a result, they experience microcracks and injuries, sprained ligaments, overstretched muscles, and disrupted blood vessel activity. Joints lack nutrients and are deformed.
If a person does not monitor the load and does not take preventive measures, glenohumeral arthritis can occur.
joint pathology
Some joint diseases can stimulate the development of deforming arthropathy.
- Synovitis. Its cause is an infection that causes intense formation of fluid in the joint. Due to fluid accumulation, joints swell and begin to hurt. Most often this problem is observed in connection with shoulder injuries. If synovitis is not treated, the possibility of complications is very high. The disease is treated with medications. Pain is relieved by NSAIDs. Additionally, the patient will have a puncture to pump out the fluid that has accumulated inside the joint. The shoulder is then fixed in a stationary position. Infectious synovitis is treated with antibiotics. In the most difficult situations, surgical treatment is performed.
- Shoulder arthritis has different origins. Its signs: shoulder swelling and pronounced pain in the joints.
- Osteonecrosis also causes shoulder osteoarthritis. Triggered by trauma or genetics, it is characterized by the fact that bone cells begin to die. Medicine offers therapeutic or surgical treatment of this condition, depending on the stage of the disease and individual characteristics of the body. Chondroprotectors restore bone tissue, and NSAIDs help cope with pain. The use of medication is supplemented by physiotherapy, massage, exercise.
Genetic, congenital, acquired diseases
Various anomalies in the structure of the shoulder (congenital or acquired) almost always deform the shoulder. The consequence of muscular dystrophy is not providing enough nutrition to joint tissues, followed by shoulder osteoarthritis.
If a person has a lack of collagen, this will also provoke the development of pathology.
The likelihood of developing shoulder arthrosis is much higher in people who have relatives with similar problems, including coxarthrosis, gonorrhea, because the underdevelopment of cartilage tissue is hereditary.
Vascular disease
Conditions in which the likelihood of shoulder joint disease increases are considered various disorders in the functioning of blood vessels.
- Physical inactivity also significantly increases the likelihood of developing pathology. The cause is insufficient physical activity. The disease is characterized by lethargy, drowsiness, loss of appetite and insomnia. One of the most common complications of physical inactivity is cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. The disease is treated conservatively, requiring adherence to diet and exercise.
- Elimination of endometritis. Pathology occurs due to impaired blood circulation, which leads to a lack of oxygen supply to the tissues of blood vessels. So their performance is limited and then they die.
- Poor nutrition and insufficient physical activity are conditions that lead to obesity and poor metabolism, leading to difficulty in blood circulation in joint tissues. The result of this process is the development of arthritis.
- Varicose veins, in which blood flow in the vessels slows, is also one of the conditions that causes degenerative changes in the joints.
Hormonal imbalance and weakened immunity
Disturbed hormone levels and reduced immunity can become factors that cause a tendency to destroy joint tissues.
- Changes that occur in the female body due to menopause are characterized by metabolic disorders. The lack of calcium in bones during this period is a result of decreased estrogen levels in the female body. The consequence of these processes is arthritis.
- Psoriasis is a chronic non-infectious disease caused by many reasons (stress, reduced immunity, impaired metabolism, etc. ). The disease is systemic in nature, so in certain conditions, not only the skin but also internal organs, bones, and joints can be affected.
- Men often suffer from arthritis due to gout. It occurs due to excessive accumulation of uric acid in the form of small crystals in the joints. Signs of pathology include joint swelling and pain. Externally, their manifestation can be noticed at the time of gout flare-ups. Usually this happens at night. The shoulder feels hot and the skin turns red. In advanced conditions, gout can become a provoking factor in the development of pathology. To avoid complications, gout must be treated with medication, not forgetting diet and exercise.
- Reduced immunity can be a cause of arthritis by exacerbating the inflammatory process in the joint cavity.
Metabolism is impaired
The lack of vitamins and trace elements entering the body (especially calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D) often causes nutritional deficiency of intra-articular fluid, cartilage and bone tissue of the joints, thereby causing degeneration. chemical- dystrophic changes in them.
Due to diabetes, blood vessels become thinner, blood flow through them decreases, and the tissues around the joints do not receive enough nutrients. All this leads to arthritis.
Age-related changes
With age, bones and cartilage tissue become thinner and weaker. The likelihood of developing shoulder arthritis after age 50 increases sharply.
Typically, shoulder arthritis is observed as a result of exposure to many of the complex conditions listed.
Symptom
Shoulder deformity is characterized as a disease that develops gradually over a long period of time. Initially, it practically does not manifest anything, however, at later stages of development, the following symptoms appear.
- Shoulder pain. Its nature, frequent pain and convulsions, makes a person uncomfortable in the morning, after a night's rest. Can happen before the weather changes. If physical activity is required in the affected shoulder, the pain will become severe and pronounced. As the situation worsens, pain syndrome manifests itself even at rest. Wearing orthotics helps solve the problem.
- Motor activity of the affected arm is impaired due to severe pain. Severe conditions often occur due to hypothermia or ligament sprains. The patient cannot lift his arm or perform normal movements. He feels unbearable pain when making circular movements in the shoulder or trying to move his arm behind his back. If treatment is not started promptly, complete immobility of the upper limbs may occur.
- Cracking and squeaking sounds at the joint are not very noticeable at first and may be difficult to notice. Then they become intense and can be heard not only by the patient but also by those around them.
- Arthritis is manifested by edema, swelling, increased local skin temperature and redness.
- The feeling of stiffness is due to the growth of bone tissue - bone spurs, which manifest if the disease progresses.
Development of the disease
The disease goes through three stages of development. Symptoms in each stage are similar, however, they vary markedly in intensity.
Grade 1 arthritis
Grade 1 shoulder arthritis is characterized by mild pain in the morning and evening. The patient "grows" the joint through effort before performing movements. A slight jerking of the shoulder may occur if a person jerks their hand vigorously. When resting, there is no pain.
Second level
Grade 2 shoulder osteoarthritis is manifested by more intense pain and a clearly heard cracking sound in the shoulder. The ability to move the hand is still preserved, but is noticeably reduced. The destructive process is already present, the tissues of the joint gradually become thinner and dystrophy is observed. Ligaments, cartilage and bones are affected. Wearing a special orthopedic device - an orthosis or cast - helps reduce the intensity of pain.
Arthritis 3 degrees
The third degree of the disease is the most serious. Symptoms of arthritis significantly change a person's quality of life. The patient could only slightly rotate the arm, had constant acute pain in the shoulder, and observed joint deformity. The muscles are partially atrophied. The problem is resolved with surgery. In case of absence, there is the possibility of complete immobility and disability.
Treatment
It is completely impossible to cure osteoarthritis. You can only slow its progression and influence the symptoms. Doctors offer two methods for treating arthritis caused by deformities in the shoulder joint: treatment and surgery.
Therapeutic treatment
To correct the patient's condition, doctors recommend using the following groups of drugs.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The main goal at this stage of treatment is to reduce inflammation and pain. The drug inhibits the inflammatory process and relieves pain. It is important to remember that NSAIDs are for use for a limited time. They are prescribed both in tablet and injection form.
- Treatment of shoulder arthritis involves the use of corticosteroids. They help reduce inflammation, thereby preventing the development of pathology.
- Chondroprotective drugs are prescribed in the non-acute stage to restore damaged cartilage and bone tissue. These drugs are based on different active ingredients: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid. They help prevent the destruction of cartilage tissue and restore it. But the effectiveness of using chondroprotective drugs can be expected only in the early stages of the disease, becauseTo work, the main condition is necessary - cartilage tissue must remain in the affected joint. Otherwise, these drugs will not help. All of these medications are prescribed by a doctor. You can expect positive results from using them no earlier than after six months of use.
- External agents (ointments, gels, creams) are also widely used in the treatment of joint diseases.
- Pain relievers also relieve pain and are used inconsistently.
Surgery
This operation is carried out at the third level of development of pathology. It includes shoulder replacement and prosthetic scapula. Surgical treatment has contraindications, usually due to the advanced age of the patient.
The decision about how to treat shoulder osteoarthritis will be made by an orthopedist or traumatologist.
Other conservative treatments for shoulder arthritis include exercise therapy, massage, and traditional medicine. A prerequisite for these methods is that they should not be used during a severe period of the disease.
With shoulder osteoarthritis, physical therapy can significantly relieve the patient's condition. In the set of exercises, you need to choose simple movements (circular movements, lifting, bending-extending the arms). Gymnastics is performed at a calm pace, without overload.
Self-treatment
For home treatment, you can use folk recipes. But their use must be approved by the attending physician.
- Massaging painful joints helps a lot with arthritis. The rub is prepared from 50 g of elecampane root and 125 ml of vodka. The tincture is left for two weeks in a dark place, then used to rub the shoulders before going to bed.
- Compressed oatmeal is easy to make yourself. Take 30 g of flakes per half liter of water and boil for 8-10 minutes. The decoction is moistened with gauze folded several times, then applied to the affected joint for half an hour.
- You can use cabbage leaves as a compress (at night). They cope well with pain.
- Herbal baths are recommended for the treatment of deforming arthritis. Mustard, mint and burdock are used to prepare them.
Shoulder osteoarthritis, like any other joint disease, cannot be ignored. Its treatment must be approached comprehensively, following the doctor's prescriptions: take medications with discipline, carry out a complex exercise therapy. To prevent arthritis, you should not put too much stress on your joints, avoid overcooling, and watch your diet.